Arms Wide Open: a Novella Read Online Free PDF

a few of those guys
were only into each other. Jeremy is good looking, the token straight guy with
little to no emotional baggage, so he was a hot property from day one.
    He probably only wanted me because I had
zero interest in him. Some guys are all about the hunt, and Jeremy was no
exception. He chased me for about a year before I let him catch me, when I was
finally ready to feel something other than hurt. Erica always had it pretty bad
for him and I’m sure as soon as she knew we were over, she moved in for the
kill.
    I want to show him I am totally okay
with this development without having that first, awkward, post-breakup convo. I
look in his eyes, where I still see the pain I caused him when I told him
thanks for the great time but I’m ready to move on. With a little bit of a
jolt, I realize I broke his heart. That’s never what I intended, but I should’ve
listened to him. He told me from the start he was ready for something serious.
How come I never listened? I’m starting to get mad at myself for being so
selfish, for hurting him, for leading him on.
    I move a step back so I can check them
out together. She takes his hand in hers and lifts her chin just a touch, with
a hint of defiance, marking her territory like a dog whizzing on a fire
hydrant. I smile, and I have to try hard not to laugh. Honey, I’m not fighting
you for my bounce back guy.
    “You two look great together. Seriously,
how long has this been going on?”
    Jeremy looks down, that adorable crooked
smile gracing his stubbled chin. He looks particularly hot in some loose jeans
and a tee shirt that clings to his chest and biceps. His curls are getting a
little long on top, sort of perfect for a girl to run her fingers through. He
always was a sexy beast. He rubs his chin and looks away, and then back at her.
I’ve made him uncomfortable.
    “Uh, not too long after...” His voice
trails off.
    “After you two broke things off,” Erica
says, apparently deciding to get the worst over with, “he called me for
sympathy and we started talking things out. I tried to help him move on,
embrace the good in his life, and move forward. It started with a coffee and
Danish here, so we decided this would be our Friday night thing. After dinner,
we come back where it all began.” She grins.
    I can’t help but smile. She’s so
whipped. She stands tall and proud, lightly caressing his forearm while we
talk. His body language is totally off. He looks around the room, shifting his
weight from one foot to the next. I can see he’s a little embarrassed by her
romantic proclamation, and in a few months he’ll have to confess that she was
the rebound girl. He’ll have the same conversation with her that I had to have
with him.
    “This is great,” I say sincerely.
“Congratulations.”
    “Erica, I’m going to hit up the barista
and get our order to go. It’s nuts in here.” He walks away, shouldering
sideways to get through the crowd. People start to settle down at different
tables, getting ready for round three. The room starts to clear out a little
and I have more standing room. Breathing becomes a little easier when I can
reclaim a little personal space.
    “So what’s going on?” Erica notices
people pairing off, two by two like animals to the ark.
    “It’s like a speed dating kind of
thing,” I say as casually as I can.
    She raises her eyebrows. They’re painted
a rich brown and plucked to perfection, a stark contrast to her fair skin and
wavy blonde hair. “Really? Since you told Jeremy you weren’t looking for a
relationship I’m kind of surprised to see you doing something like this. You
really tore him up, you know.”
    Yeah. I picked that up just now, thanks.
    “I probably should have been more honest
with him from the start,” I tell her, knowing everything I say will be rehashed
between the two of them and discussed in great detail with her friends tomorrow
over lunch. That’s how she rolls. “I knew he wanted something more,